He Is Mine
by mysticalflute
Summary: Emma Swan has a decision to make. Does she keep her child or give him up for adoption?
1. Prison

Adoption or keeping him?

Giving him up, or keeping him as _hers_?

Emma Swan sighed and rested her head against the wall of her cell as she thought. She was five months pregnant now… and the guards were pressuring her into trying to make a decision about what to do with the child. Did she keep him, or did she give him up and hope that he would have a better life than she did in the adoption world?

Both options were extremely tempting to her. If she gave him up, she would only have to worry about herself when she got out of here, and not an innocent child. Considering she didn't have anything, it seemed to be a good thought.

Then again, she wouldn't be able to control where her child went. She couldn't make sure that he was quickly put into a family, one that wouldn't _return_ him like had happened to her. For all she knew, he could be bounced around like she was.

If she kept him, he would be able to stay with her, and she would show him love and support that she hadn't gotten as a child.

She wanted to scream at the fact that she was left alone in this decision. If only she hadn't been so _stupid_ to think that Neal would actually stay with her and not betray her, like everyone else in her life had… then she wouldn't be in this situation. She should have let him take the fall for his own crimes – she would have waited for him, but she wouldn't have to be in prison, going through a pregnancy alone with only the guards for company when her morning sickness had been terrible.

_"You're far along enough to know his gender, Swan. Do you want to know?" the doctor asked, the cold gel pressing against her expanded stomach, the ultrasound wand moving around, looking at her baby._

_Emma nodded slowly – she did want to know. Why bother keeping it a surprise? She was most likely going to give him up for adoption anyway. At least she would know what to expect when she gave birth._

_"It's a boy… congratulations."_

_The word stuck hard with her. Boy. A little boy. A little Neal._

_Well, now that threw a wrench into her plans._

_The doctor seemed to sense her confusion, the subtle movement of her body obvious to the woman._

_"Swan… you know we won't judge you if you want to keep him, you know that right"_

_Emma stared up at the woman, stunned that she would be so… kind toward the young, pregnant, jailbird. "You… you won't? But – but where will he go? Would he live in my cell with me? Would he go to a foster home until my… my sentence was up?"_

_She couldn't believe she was so worried about this, when just a few minutes ago, she was determined that she was going to give the baby – no, him, up for adoption. Now she was worried about, if she was determined to keep him, where he would go._

_"Well…" the doctor leaned against one of the cabinets. "The prison is beginning a new program.. certain prisoners who wind up pregnant can apply. I'll tell you this – I can't guarantee anything – but I can tell you that since you're a juvenile, and a non-violent criminal, you have a pretty good shot of getting accepted._

_"And… he'll stay with me?"_

_The doctor nodded._

This was where she was now. The conflict was raging in her head. Both options seemed have their pluses and minuses. Both had _major_ pluses and minuses.

She couldn't just think of herself right now. She had to think of the baby – her _son._ Half of Neal's son.

Emma closed her eyes, hiding the traitorous tears that threatened to fall. She had been determined to not think about him, but now that she was showing… it was getting to be difficult not to.

"Swan… you have mail," a guard said, unlocking the cell and stepping inside.

Emma opened her eyes and saw an envelope in the guard's hand.

"I have to open it in front of you – that's the rule," the guard told her, opening the envelope cautiously, before reaching inside it and pulling out…

A car key. Attached to a swan key chain.

Emma swallowed tight as the guard tossed the key over to her.

"Well, looks like you've got two things going for you when you get out of here. A car… and a baby."

The teenager nodded stiffly, grasping the key in her hand. "W… where is it from? The envelope?" she whispered, finally managing to find her voice.

"Canada… Vancouver."

Vancouver. She knew where to start when she got out of here… providing in six months she ever wanted to find him.

But with the baby coming… would it be fair to him to not know his father?

"Okay," she whispered, "thank you for telling me."

"No problem Swan. Looks like things are looking up after all, aren't they?"

Emma couldn't help but give the woman a small, small smile. "Y-yeah… yeah I think so."

Her decision was final then, after that moment. While she still didn't have any money, she supposed she and the baby could live in the Bug until she got them both on their feet. Luckily, he would be a bit older by the time she got out of here.

* * *

She sat in the clean, impeccable office, and felt immediately out of place.

She wanted to pretend she didn't know why the warden had called her into the office, but Emma had a feeling she knew the reason why.

It was time for her to decide whether to give her son up for adoption, or to keep him.

Emma had made her decision the night before, and finally felt comfortable with it.

Her hand was wrapped protectively against her eight-month pregnant stomach, she looked around nervously as the warden, doctor, and some people she didn't recognize (parole board?) walked in. She was supposed to hear back about whether or not she would be able to raise her son in the jail or if he would have to go to a temporary home.

Providing she decided to keep him and raise him herself, of course.

"Miss Emma Ruth Swan…" the warden said, looking at the teen with a critical eye. Emma nodded stiffly. "You are here for your evaluation and decision on what to do with the child."

The way the woman was speaking about her baby made her angry, but she didn't say anything – she didn't want to ruin this.

Instead, she simply nodded again.

"And… what is your decision? Keep in mind we do have a list of people that are interested in newborn babies up for adoption," the warden said.

Emma nodded for a third time. "I know, ma'am," she said softly. "And I have made my decision."

She caught the doctor's eye before speaking again. "May I ask a question though, before I tell you my decision?"

"You may."

"If I… keep him…" she started carefully, "will he be able to stay with me, in the jail?"

It would only be two months. That was what she kept chanting in her head.

The warden looked at the doctor, who nodded. "Yes, he will Emma. You were accepted into the program."

She bit back the wide grin of relief.

"I've decided to keep him. I'm keeping my son."

* * *

A scream of pain tore from her lips as she was forced to push against her will. She was exhausted, she was in pain, and she just wanted a break.

However, her son didn't seem to agree with her, and Emma cried out again, her voice dying with relief as she finally felt him come out, his cry taking over as the loudest sound in the room.

The blonde sobbed with relief. He was finally here – and healthy, if his lungs said anything. Then again, she wasn't a doctor, so she didn't know for sure… but he sounded it.

When everything calmed down, Emma smiled as he was handed over to her.

His tiny eyes were open, blinking up at her.

"Hey kid…" she murmured softly. "I'm so glad you're finally here…"

He let out a soft noise, and she chuckled, kissing his head.

"Emma?" the doctor asked, coming back into the room. "We're ready to fill out his birth certificate. Have you decided on a name?"

Emma smiled, managing to tear her eyes away from him, and nodded at the doctor. "David. I'm going to call him David Henry Swan."

The doctor smiled, writing the name down on the certificate. "And… his father… do you want his father listed?"

It was the thing that had been bothering her since she'd decided to keep David. Did she put Neal's name down? Or did she leave it blank?

Again, it was a decision that she had to keep her son in mind for.

"Put it down…" she said softly. "Neal. Neal Cassidy is his name."

But… there was one thing that would be clear no matter what happened in the future.

_He is mine._


	2. Release

She was being released today. A month early because of her good behavior. Nothing could bring Emma down.

Emma smiled at David as he gurgled and reached for her hair. Normally, she found it as irritating as she supposed other mother's did, but today, she didn't mind. "You like Mama's hair?" she murmured softly to the boy, who looked so much like Neal it hurt.

But not even that realization could break her spirit. She was happy with him, happy with the fact that she was being released early, and happy with the fact that she wouldn't be on probation, so she was free to go wherever she wanted to.

With the time between Neal's delivery of the bug key and now, she had a feeling he might not be in Vancouver anymore, so the first place Emma wanted to start was Tallahassee – where they'd promised they would go after giving up their Bonnie and Clyde act. Even if she didn't find him there, she would start a life there, for David. He needed stability, and Emma was determined to give that to him.

David yawned and blinked up at her. Every motion he made, she was fascinated with. She didn't have much experience with babies, so to see her own living, breathing, and growing, was just… incredible to her.

"Swan, you have one last batch of mail before you go," a guard said, unlocking the cell and stepping inside. "Looks like a letter, but you know the drill – I have to open it in front of you."

Emma nodded. "I know."

The guard looked at the envelope. "Know anyone here in Phoenix?"

Emma frowned suddenly as David gave another yawn and drifted off in her arms. "Um… no. Are you sure it's for me?"

"Well it's addressed to you…" the guard replied, opening the envelope, handing her the letter once she was satisfied that it wasn't anything illegal.

_Emma,_

_I'm a friend of Neal's. He wanted to make sure you were settled, so he set up an account for you. The information is in the Bug's glove department._

_A.W.B._

Emma frowned, reading the letter again and again, but it still didn't make sense.

"Everything alright, Swan?" the guard asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, I… I think so," she said. "Just weird. The letter… um, do you know where my car would be?"

She supposed she should figure that part out before going anywhere.

The guard tilted her head as she put her letter opener back in her pocket. "Well… there's a parking garage down the street… but you have to pay for that so I don't think it'd be there. I can check around and see if it's in police custody, if you want?"

Emma nodded. "Thank you… I appreciate it."

The guard left the cell once again, and Emma shook her head as she looked at the letter again. Who was A.W.B, and why didn't Neal ever tell her about him before?

As David began to fuss, Emma stood up and laid him down to change his diaper. "Hey boy, don't worry. We'll get out of here soon. Then, you can see the world…" Maybe not to the degree that she saw the world… or at least the country, but still.. it was better than seeing four grey walls with bars over the one small window and doorway.

"Okay Swan," the guard said as she returned. Emma gave her half a glance to let her know she was paying attention, but also trying to focus on David's diaper change. "I just heard back from some of the other car parking garages around town. The yellow bug that you described is right next door, in the garage that some of our… taken cars are."

"It… it is?" Emma said, staring at her. How in the world did the car get there?

"Don't ask me how it got there, because I have no idea. It's like magic or something," the guard said, noticing the look of disbelief on Emma's face.

Emma snorted with laughter, which made David giggle a little. "Yeah? If there's magic in this world, why hasn't anyone magically broken me out of here and whisked me away?"

"Because even good guys have to pay a bad price sometimes. Snow White got poisoned, Cinderella lived with three bitches, Rapunzel was locked in a tower for most of her life…" the guard shrugged, unlocking the door. "Now that we know where your car is, you're free to go. Do you need help with your belongings?"

Emma nodded a little in both response to the woman's question and her comment about the Princesses. She had a good point – good guys got the raw end of the deal until the very end of the story.

Which sucked.

"Thank you for… well, everything, I guess," Emma said, giving the guard – Elizabeth – a small smile.

"Don't worry about it Swan. Just do one thing for me."

Emma tilted her head as she held David's carrier close to her. "What's that?"

"Don't come back here unless it's a visit."

Emma laughed. "I have no plans to… I have something worth living for now…"

David gurgled from the carrier, and Emma smiled down at him.

As she was led out into the bright sunshine, a free woman, Emma took a deep breath of the air. It was a warm day, but Emma didn't mind.

"Welcome to the outside world, David," she whispered softly.

"Alright Swan, just head next door," the woman told her. "Just give them this ticket – they'll get your car for you. Good luck."

Emma smiled, taking the ticket, and headed next door, carefully balancing David and his belongings as she headed over to the window.

"Hi… the guard said I should give this to you?" she asked, sliding the ticket under the window to the man at the small table.

He nodded, taking it and reading the information on it. "Do you have the key? One wasn't turned in for this vehicle."

Emma nodded, pulling it out of her pocket. "Right here." Once she slid it over to him, the man smiled and left the small area, going to the bug and pulling it around.

She couldn't help but smile a little. She'd missed the bug.

Emma bit her lip. "Um… sir? Do you know how to put car seats into a car? I've never done it before…"

The man chuckled and smiled. "Yes, I do. Let me help you. Can you lower the passenger's seat so I can get in?"

Emma nodded, setting David's carrier down so she could do what the man asked. She watched him carefully as he explained how she was supposed to put the car seat in, taking it in easily. It didn't seem so hard. She just had to make sure everything was perfectly secure. She didn't want – or need – anything happening to David.

"Thank you so much," Emma said, getting into the driver's seat. "For everything."

"Have a good life, Miss Swan."

Taking a deep breath, Emma pulled out onto the streets of Phoenix, now, officially, a free woman.


	3. Drive

She drove. She wasn't sure how far she drove, but she just drove, only knowing that she was heading West, until she noticed that she was running low on gas. Luckily, she'd passed a sign pointing to a gas station, and pulled into the parking lot, turning the car off with a sigh. She'd just remembered she didn't have any money on her.

"Dammit," she hissed to herself, banging her head against the back of the seat. Now what was she going to do?

Wait… that note she'd gotten earlier in the day… Emma reached into the pocket of her jumpsuit, having completely forgotten to change out of it (she'd have to find a discrete place to do that). The note had said something about Neal setting things up for her, and that the info was in the car somewhere.

Letting out a sigh, Emma opened the glove department, and frowned as she saw a large envelope.

The cash from the watches. One hundred dollars, but there was also information from a bank, and a debit card… with a piece of paper with four numbers on it. It must have been the pin number.

Taking a deep breath, Emma turned off the engine, rummaging around in her bag. The guards had given her a few changes of clothes to wear – mostly used, some of it probably too big for her even with the extra baby weight she'd yet to take off, but she didn't care. As long as she didn't have to run around in a baggy jump suit.

She looked in the back seat, where David was still asleep. It was funny… like cars made him tired. She supposed that if he was having trouble going down for a nap, she could try driving him around, to see if it would work.

Eventually, Emma got out of the car, when she realized the gas station had no other customers there, and the pump she was at did not face the door to the mini-mart. She was starving, of course, but she didn't exactly want to go into the station while she was dressed in prison garb.

"You okay, kid?" she murmured softly. She got no response aside from his chest moving up and down, but honestly, that was enough for Emma.

Quickly, she put the card in (letting out a sigh of relief when it was accepted, and quickly pumped the gas into the car, tapping her foot impatiently and looking around sharply for anyone coming in. She did not need to deal with the cops right now, though the woman wondered if the police officers would laugh because they knew her.

She let out a sigh of relief as the gas filled the car, printing out the receipt and ducking back into her car to change, which she did in record time, managing to stuff the ugly jumpsuit into a bag, away from prying eyes. Her stomach rumbled in hunger, so Emma pulled into a parking spot, not wanting to take up room in case someone pulled up and needed to get gas. She lifted David from the car seat, not trusting herself to remove it fully and remember how to put it back just yet. It wouldn't be that big of a deal to carry him.

The woman looked around the store, trying to decide what she wanted, nearly shivering as memories flooded her mind. One of the last stores she and Neal had hit before that day in Portland was a convince store like this, and it took all of Emma's strength (and some tugs on her hair from little David) not to stash some snacks into her pocket and just walk out with them. It was odd actually having to _pay _for them.

The man working gave her a kind smile as he bagged up her things; it wasn't much, but more than she could comfortably carry while carrying David as well (she'd had to put the drinks she wanted under her arms, holding the snacks on her stomach).

"Have a good day, miss," the man said as he handed back her change and the bag.

"Thanks…" Emma said, looking at a map hanging above the man's head. "Hey, do you know where the nearest hotel is? I know it's going to get dark pretty soon and with him, well… I just want him to be safe."

She wasn't very good at driving in the dark to begin with, but now that she had to worry about David… she wanted to be in a hotel and settled as soon as she could.

"Oh, from here? I'd say about… half hour at the most," the man told her. Emma smiled with relief.

"Thank you," she said, walking out of the store, a renewed sense of where she was going to go.

She strapped David back into his car seat, kissing his head. "Half hour David, then we'll be in a hotel, with an actual bed…"

Of course, he was too small to sleep in an actual bed, but she wasn't, and she was looking forward to being in an actual bed. Hopefully this hotel had a continental breakfast too, so she could eat a good, hot meal.

Then again, she hadn't had dinner either, so she hoped there was a restaurant close by. Preferably a place with take-out so David didn't have to sit in a noisy restaurant for an hour.

* * *

That night, as she settled David onto her chest in the small hotel room (they were out of the 'nicer' rooms, which Emma didn't' mind – it was just her and David after all – and at least the room was clean) she couldn't help but think of what her life would be like if she hadn't gone to prison, and had just stayed with Neal instead.

They weren't thoughts she particularly wanted in her head, considering Neal had abandoned her and taken the watches for himself, but with nothing on television (it was nice to know nothing had changed in that regard while she was in jail), and David too young to be an actual conversation partner, the only thing she could do was be alone with her thoughts.

Did she want to go to Tallahassee anymore? She knew that was where she'd picked when she and Neal were deciding to quit the stealing game and try to make honest people of themselves, but now that he was _gone,_ she had a _child,_ she couldn't very well drag David around trying to find him, especially as it seemed that Neal didn't _want_ to be found, if he had to use his friend to send that letter to her in jail.

So, the only question was… where did they go?

Her son pulled away, and Emma smiled, setting him on her shoulder to burp him.

"Tomorrow, we'll figure out where to go, David. I won't have you growing up like I did," she said softly as the little boy looked up at her.

Emma brushed her lips against his forehead before setting him down in the car seat, drifting off next to him in the bed.

The food downstairs the next morning would normally be considered average at best, but for Emma, who had been eating prison food and then junk food from a gas station, it was heavenly. There were eggs, French toast, pancakes, potatoes, toast, various juices and bagels.

Delicious, all of it.

"Okay David," she murmured softly, leaning close to him, even though she knew damn well he wouldn't be able to understand what she was saying. "When we're done eating, I'm going to extend our stay one more day and then take you to find a map of the United States. You can pick where you want to live."

Like Neal had let her do, though Emma would never leave David, and she knew David would never leave her.

* * *

The little boy squirmed a little in the seat he'd grown accustomed to, and she chuckled, holding the map in front of him.

"Wherever your foot lands, that's where we'll head David. That's where we'll start our new lives."

She knew David didn't understand her, but still, his right foot was the first one to shoot out, and Emma put her finger on where one of his toes landed, turning the map around so she could read it.

Massachusetts.

The east coast wasn't a place she ever thought of going back to but… now was the time to make changes, so…

"Okay," she whispered. "To Massachusetts we go."


	4. Storybrooke

_Emma Swan's 28__th__ birthday…_

Emma Swan leaned against the bright yellow bug in her son's school parking lot. It was nearly four o'clock – nearly time for David to be done with school and his art program. It hadn't been something she expected, but hell, the kid was talented when it came to drawing, she wanted him to be able to have the full experiences she didn't.

She felt the stares of some of the other school mother's waiting to pick up their children. It wasn't because she was a single mother – no, there were single mothers among the group – it was because of her career as a bail bondsperson… and a damn talented one at that. The rumors that spread around the school about her made her uncomfortable, wanting to take David out so he didn't have to hear any lies spread about the only parent he had… but he enjoyed school too much, he did quite well in his classes, and enjoyed the art program he was in. So, she allowed him to stay.

Finally, the school doors opened and students came rushing out. Mother's quickly led their children into their cars, wanting to get as far away from her as possible.

She might have had a hand in putting a couple of their family members in jail.

David came out nearly last, not looking nearly as excited as he normally did, and Emma's heart sank.

What had those kids said to him?

"David?" she asked quietly, kneeling down to his eye level. "What's wrong?"

"Andrew pushed me today…" he murmured softly. "Miss Jones saw it."

Emma paled. "Why did he do that?"

"He said you sent his cousin to jail."

"And what did Miss Jones do to stop it?" Emma asked, praying that the teacher had done something right and told the brat off for pushing her son when he had nothing to do with this situation.

"She told him off, but he called his mom and she pulled him out of class," David explained. "Mom… I don't know if I want to stay here…"

Her heart broke for her son, and it was all her fault. Being a bail bonds person wasn't something a mother should do, but she'd decided to do it because of the money. She'd been able to afford sending David to a private school for his education instead of a normal public one, thinking he'd be safer from the downsides of what she did.

But criminals were everywhere.

"Okay David," she whispered. "I'll talk to Miss Jones. We'll go somewhere else. Start a new life. How does that sound?"

Honestly, she shouldn't be saying such a thing, considering all she'd done in her life was run, but this was her son – and people were making his life a living hell. She needed him to be happy – after all, that was what a mother did.

"How about a small town this time?" she asked him, kneeling down and pulling out a postcard she'd gotten in the mail. "I got this in the mail today."

David took it from her hands and looked at it. "Storybrooke? Where's that?"

"I think it's in Maine," Emma said. "I thought we could go check it out and see if we like it."

For the first time in a few days, her son's lit up with joy. "You're the best, Mom."

Emma smiled a little before turning to the school. "I'll call them tomorrow once we get to Storybrooke and make a decision."

"Tomorrow? Are we going now?!" David asked, a grin spreading on his face once again.

She nodded. "Indeed we are kiddo. Well, once we pack clothes for the weekend. Come on. Get in the car."

He was like a lightning bolt as he jumped into the open passenger's door, buckled up before she'd even made her way around the car.

As they drove down the street, Emma ignored the stare she felt from outside the school's window.

* * *

"Dammit," Emma hissed as rain poured against the windows. It was raining, she was trying to find a town she'd never heard of, and it was dark.

David was asleep next to her. He'd always fallen asleep during car rides – it was a trick she'd used since she discovered it while driving from the prison to the gas station all those years ago. Ten years ago. It seemed to go by so fast, really.

When she first got to Boston, she hadn't known where to go. They'd ended up at a homeless shelter until Emma had managed to find a job. First as a waitress, then as a janitor in the police department. She'd helped a detective work on a case, managing to convince him to let her try to take the guy (who had skipped out on a probation hearing) in. It escalated into her getting a comfortable job as a bail bondsperson.

Until now, it seemed. When it was ruined by the idiot parents and their piss-poor excuses for children they were raising.

Her knuckles were nearly white when they passed the sign for Storybrooke.

"Thank God," she muttered, looking over at the sleeping ten-year-old next to her. "David, wake up…"

The boy groaned, stirring.

"Come on kid, we're almost there, promise," she said.

"We are?!" David said, eyes snapping open.

Emma chuckled, smiling a little. "Yeah. Almost. We just got into town."

"Can we eat when we get there? Pleaaase?"

She laughed. "Of course we can."

They finally pulled into the town itself and looked around. It was small – really small – and Emma frowned, trying to find a place to eat through the rain. The bright red 'Open' sign off a diner made her sigh in relief. It looked like it was the only restaurant open. The blonde pulled off to the side, parking and getting out of the car. "You ready to eat kid?"

"Do you have to ask?" he retorted, nearly flying out of the car.

Emma laughed and followed him into the diner. It was a typical diner. Red and black themed, checkered flooring, booths and bar stools.

The uniforms however, were quite different from what she was used to, and Emma's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she saw what the waitress was wearing – to be honest, it looked like something from Hooters or some other bar like that. She didn't expect this from a diner, that she assumed had to be family friendly.

"Welcome to Granny's!" the young woman said, handing them menus. "I'm Ruby, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"Hot chocolate please… with cinnamon," Emma said.

"Make it two!" David agreed.

Emma chuckled a little as Ruby left to get their drinks. "Must be some sort of family trait," she said, wondering briefly if her parents had done this sort of thing, before she shoved the thoughts aside. What did it matter what her parents did? They hadn't wanted her.

Even so… it must have been hereditary.

"Here you go. Two hot chocolates with cinnamon on top," Ruby said, returning seemingly out of nowhere. "You know, it's funny. Only one person in town requests this to drink…"

Emma frowned. "Really? I don't know anyone that drinks this."

Ruby shrugged, pulling out the pad. "Can I get you guys anything to eat?"

"Um…" Emma muttered, looking at the menu again. "I'll take a Coney dog – no onions, extra mustard. And a side of fries for us to split."

"I want the grilled cheese," David replied. "Can I get pickles on the side?"

Ruby smiled. "Course you can. How old are you, kiddo?"

"Ten!" the boy replied with excitement.

"Getting pretty big then," Ruby said. "Extra pickles then."

Emma smiled a little as she watched the interaction between her son and this waitress. Emma wanted to think that she was simply fishing for an extra tip, but everything about the woman said that she was genuinely interested in knowing about her son.

"Um… do you know of any hotels or something in this town? We're considering moving in," Emma explained.

Ruby grinned. "Oh! You can stay at Granny's Bed and Breakfast! It's just up the street, near the woods. My granny owns this place and the Bed and Breakfast. As soon as I get your order in I'll call her and tell her to expect you. How long do you want to stay?"

"A week…" Emma replied. "Please."

Ruby nodded. "Well… welcome to Storybrooke."

As Emma and David waited for their meals to be delivered, they didn't even notice the clock beginning to tick… something that hadn't happened in any Storybrooke resident's memory.


	5. Strangers

Emma flopped onto the bed at Granny's and looked at David. "Well?" she asked. "How do you feel about Storybrooke so far?"

David grinned and bounced on his. "So far so good."

"Oh really?" Emma asked, smiling a little at him. This was their chance to make a fresh start – one without judgement from others… at least, she hoped, considering this town was hours away and in a different state. Hopefully, no one she'd taken into custody had been from Storybrooke, or had relatives here.

"Yeah. I don't know what it is, but I like it. It's not as noisy as Boston," David explained. "I like that."

"Well we'll explore the town more tomorrow, alright?" Emma said. "For now, it's time for bed."

"Mooom!" David whined. "I'm not tired!"

"Really? I thought I heard you yawn a couple minutes ago when I was unpacking our clothes…" Emma teased with a grin.

"Did not!"

"Oh? Then what was it I heard?"

"I was… admiring the clock tower. We can see the square from here!" David explained with a firm nod of his head.

Emma raised an eyebrow. Even though he had never met his father, the kid was way too much like Neal for his own good with the whole 'lying' thing.

"Mhm, I'm sure it was, David," Emma replied. "But even so… it's late. And I'm sure you want to get an early start looking around town."

The boy tilted his head, before finally nodding. "Yeah…"

"Good… then let's go to bed."

* * *

"David, slow down!" Emma called as she and David walked down the streets, exploring the small town.

As if it was scripted in a movie, David crashed into a girl that seemed to be his age. Emma sighed a little in frustration and relief when she'd noticed neither of them had fallen – especially considering the severe looking woman that had been with the girl.

"What do you say, David?" Emma urged gently, not wanting him to think he was in deep trouble.

"Sorry…" the boy muttered.

"It's okay," the girl replied smiling. "I'm Cora."

"I'm David… it's nice to meet you."

"Cora," the dark-haired woman's voice said sharply. "Did this boy apologize to you for hurting you?"

"He didn't hurt me, Mom. He just bumped into me. I'm fine," the little girl said.

The woman frowned a little. "Well. He's lucky then."

"Don't talk to my son like he's some sort of criminal. He just bumped into her. That's all," Emma said, stepping up behind David and putting a firm hand on his shoulder. "He already apologized. Let it go."

The woman raised an eyebrow, looking her daughter over. "Hm. I suppose she's fine. Who are you anyway? I've never seen you in town before."

"Emma. Emma Swan… and my son David. We're new in town… looking to make a fresh start," Emma explained, not liking the look of the woman at all. There was something dark about her – and Emma wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was about.

"Oh, I see. How did you come to know about our town? It's not like we're on any maps or anything…"

"Uh… I got a postcard in the mail a few days ago," she said, running a hand through her long blonde hair, "it didn't say anything except the typical 'Greetings from Storybrooke with a picture of the clock tower on it… so we decided to come check it out."

"Hm. That's very odd… strangers don't come to this town. But, I suppose anyone looking for a… fresh start is welcome here. And David looks like he's about the same age as my Cora. What do you say we get them together for a play date?"

Emma smiled a little. "What do you say, David?"

"Yeah! A play date sounds like fun!" her son replied with an eager shake of his head.

The little girl, Cora, looked a little nervous though, but nodded when the dark-haired woman posed the same question.

"I completely forgot to ask… who are you?"

"My name is Regina Mills. I'm the mayor of Storybrooke."

"Oh, the mayor. Well… it's very nice to meet you," Emma said, not having expected to meet the mayor randomly on the street.

"So I'll see you at our house tomorrow afternoon?" Regina said, giving them a smile – one that sent a shiver down Emma's spine, though she was able to remain stoic.

"Yeah, of course. Just tell me where you live…"

"Oh, you can't miss it. It's just down this way – the biggest house on the block."

Of course it was. She was the mayor after all.

"Great uh… we'll see you then," Emma said. "Come on, David…"

She led David away, and the boy shivered under her grip.

"You alright?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah… I think so. I don't know if I like her, Mom."

"Then why did you agree to a play date?" She frowned, tilting her head a little in confusion. If David felt uncomfortable (and quite honestly, Emma couldn't blame him), then why agree to go to this woman's house tomorrow and hang out with her daughter?

"Because… I don't know why, but I think there's something about her daughter. It's like… she needs a friend or something… so I want to be her friend."

Emma smiled and hugged him. "That's my boy… come on. Why don't we go check out that pawn shop up ahead?"

David nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Emma wrapped her arm around his shoulders and walked with him to Gold's Pawn Shop. The bell tinkled softly as they entered.

Emma shivered a little, noticing two creepy looking puppets sitting on the counter. It was like they were begging to be put out of their misery… which was even worse considering they were puppets and shouldn't have feelings to begin with.

"Look around, David," she said softly, as a man entered from the back room. "Hello."

"Hello to you too," the man said, leaning heavily against a cane. "I'm Mr. Gold, the pawnbroker."

"It's nice to meet you. Emma Swan, and my son, Henry."

She saw something in the man's eyes. A glimmer, or… something, but it was gone in an instant, before she could really figure out what it was.

Maybe it was the lighting – after all, he had moved out from behind the counter.

"Ah… and what brings you to our little town?"

Emma shrugged, not really sure if she wanted to tell the full story again. "Fresh start. Let's go with that."

The man nodded. "Of course, of course… well, I hope you enjoy your stay in Storybrooke. If you find anything, you can have it. Free of charge."

Emma stared at the man. "Mr. Gold, are you sure? Some of the things here must be so expensive…"

The man simply waved his hand. "No no, I insist. Consider it a… a welcome present."

Emma smiled a little. It wasn't like they were broke, but even so, she hadn't expected to get a gift like this, especially from a man in a town she hadn't known for more than a minute.

"Well… thank you," Emma said softly, looking around the shop. Her breath caught in her throat as something yellow, hanging from a string, captured her attention.

A dream catcher. She hadn't seen one since her days in Portland with Neal, when he'd told her that dream catchers took away the nightmares, letting you sleep peacefully.

What a load of shit.

But even so… there was still David, and she had told him the same thing… so maybe she should get it. Providing she didn't find anything else she wanted. The woman picked it up from the small nail in the wall, and held it up, just looking at it.

"Mom! Look at this chess set!" David's voice said, cutting into her thoughts.

Emma turned, slightly startled, and smiled at him.

"Chess, huh?" she said with a slight smile. "Would you like that?"

David nodded, not taking his eyes off the chess set still in the display case, as if he was afraid it was going to disappear on him.

"Well then… I guess we've decided," Emma told Mr. Gold, laughing a little.

"So the chess set and the dream catcher?" the man asked, going behind the counter and taking the chess set out of the case. "Be careful with it, dearie. This is very fragile – you don't want it to break."

Emma froze a little when he'd mentioned the dream catcher, and opened her mouth to deny wanting it, but she found herself unable to do so, so she nodded dumbly while he interacted with David, the young boy promising to be careful with the fragile chess set.

"You both enjoy your time here then. Come back any time," Mr. Gold said as Emma led David out of the shop.

* * *

He waved politely as the door swung closed behind Miss Swan and her son, the man trying to hide back a smirk as the memories stilled, slowly filling the gaps in his head that had been missing for twenty-eight years.

The savior had returned, albeit, with a son (something unforeseen by Rumpelstiltskin, but no matter). The curse was going to break soon – he could feel it in the air. The first hint had been when the clock started moving the night before. He had known something was going on, but without his memories of the Enchanted Forest, this 'Mr. Gold' just thought that the clock had been repaired for the first time in… as long as he could remember.

Apparently, years hadn't mattered.

"So it's begun," he whispered into the air.


	6. Fairytales

"So… you have a really nice place," David said, sitting on Cora's bed.

The girl only shrugged a little. "Thanks."

He frowned a little. It was hard trying to get this girl to seem comfortable around him, and he wondered why. Looking around for something to catch his eye and hopefully cheer her up, a book captured his attention.

"Hey, what's that book up there?" he asked, pointing to it. It looked really old, but interesting all the same.

That did it. Cora's face lit up as she grabbed the book, sitting next to him and opening it. "They're stories. But every story in this book actually happened. Everyone in this book is in the actual town. Cursed."

David stared at her. This sounded insane.

"You think I'm crazy too, don't you?" she said, her tone turning sad when she noticed the stunned look on his face.

"Oh no! Not at all I just… didn't expect to get hit with that kind of news, that's all!" David said, shaking his head. He hadn't meant to make her feel crazy. "So… what kind of stories are they?"

"Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, The Mad Hatter…" Cora explained, flipping through it. "They were transported here by the Evil Queen from Snow White. They don't remember who they are."

She stopped on a page, turning the book so the page faced him. David glanced down and stared.

It was Mayor Mills.

"No way… that's your mom!" he said. "Your mom is the Evil Queen?"

It explained why he felt so uncomfortable around her, at least.

Cora nodded. "And my teacher, Miss Blanchard is Snow White."

"Where's Prince Charming?"

The girl hesitated, flipping to the back of the book. "He was gravely wounded trying to save his daughter from being killed by my mother. He's in a coma now. Sometimes we go see him during school."

David looked at the page, smiling a little at the man sword fighting with a baby in his arms. The baby was wrapped in a purple and white blanket… and David found himself frowning as he looked closer at it.

"Is there a better picture of the baby?" he asked.

Cora nodded, flipping to the last page of the book, and David gasped in complete and utter shock.

It was his mother.

His mom's name was common, after all, there were a lot of Emma's in his school, but he knew that blanket. His mom would sometimes let him sleep with the blanket if he got scared or upset by something.

"That's my mom," he whispered. "She has a blanket exactly like that."

"She does?!" Cora asked. "Then… then she's The Savior! She's the one that's going to break the curse!"

A smile that David had never seen on someone before erupted on the girl's face. "She can save everyone."

He shrugged a little. "Getting her to believe is going to be hard," he said. "My mom's kind of a cynical person. She had a rough life." David didn't know all the details, but he knew enough to know that his mom had a rough life before he was born.

"But we have to do it."

"We will… but how will it happen?"

She bit her lip. "Well, the one thing these stories have in common is a kiss. Someone kisses someone else, and the curse breaks, especially Snow White."

His… grandparents apparently.

"So we need to find my mom's true love?" he asked, frowning a little. His mother did not seem like the type of person to want to fall in love, aside from with him, of course, but David knew that was a different kind of love.

Unless that sort of thing worked?

"I guess… unless she does something else. She is the savior after all. She must have some sort of power or something," Cora said, shrugging a little.

His mom was the savior.

This was so cool.

* * *

"First day of school, David. Are you ready?" Emma asked, looking down at her son a few days later. It had been a whirlwind trying to get everything together – after the play date, David had nearly demanded that they stay, chattering eagerly about a storybook that Cora had. Emma was surprised – she thought he'd grown out of fairytales, but it made him happy, and, as much as she didn't really like the stories herself (most variations she knew of were way too sugarcoated and sweet), she would allow him to be excited.

Besides, they were just stories, and even she would admit the ones in Cora's book sounded far more interesting than the Disney versions she was used to. A bandit Snow White? Rumpelstiltskin taking the place of the fairy godmother in Cinderella? Quite honestly, she wanted to read the book now too.

"I'm ready Mom… and thanks for moving us," he replied with a smile, hugging her tight.

Emma chuckled, returning it as she looked around the school yard. His first day would consist of a field trip to the hospital. Not exactly what Emma had in mind when enrolling him, but she couldn't control it, coming in during the middle of the school year.

"There my teacher. Miss Blanchard," David said, nearly dragging her across the parking lot to the bus.

Emma stumbled a little, laughing. "Slow down kid, and have a good day, alright?" She smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his hair.

"I will!"

David shot off toward the bus as the teacher, Miss Blanchard, walked over to her, a kind smile on her face.

"You must be David's mother."

Emma nodded, unable to shake the feeling that she knew the woman from somewhere. "Yes, I am. You're Miss Blanchard, right?"

"I am… it's very nice to meet you."

"Listen… I just wanted to talk and make sure nothing happens to my son… he had a rough couple of months before we decided to move here and I just wanted to make sure everything was going to be okay."

"Of course, I'm sorry to hear that. What was the problem?"

Emma shrugged, looking at the woman a little guiltily. "I was a… a bail bondsperson. I tracked down people who skipped out on their bond and brought them back into custody. Some of the kids at David's school in Boston started to make fun of him for it and… the teachers didn't do much. Neither did the parents."

The other woman gasped. "Oh God, I don't tolerate bullying of any kind in my classroom."

Emma let out a bitter chuckle. "That's what his other teacher said."

"Miss Swan… David would not be the first student that went through bullying in my classroom," Miss Blanchard explained. "Trust me. It is not tolerated."

"Well… that's good. Thanks."

She looked up, David and Cora sitting in the bus, waving at her. She smiled and waved back.

"Seems like David's already made a friend," Miss Blanchard said.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. We met Cora and her mother a few days ago when we were exploring the town. David's become really close to her… she's part of the reason why we're staying."

Miss Blanchard smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. Sometimes the students don't appreciate Cora's creativity. I'm glad to see that David does. A friend will be good for her."

"And for David…" Emma said, wondering what Miss Blanchard meant, but also knowing it wasn't her place to ask. She wasn't her daughter – she was Mayor Mills'. "He's very good at drawing… he was in a special program for it at school in Boston. Does Storybrooke have anything like that?"

The teacher nodded. "Yes, we do. I believe Ms. Nolan teaches it. I can talk to her for you, if you want."

"That would be great. Thank you," Emma said, before glancing at her watch. "Oh geez, I'd better go. It was very nice talking to you."

"It was nice to meet you too Miss Swan. And please, the next time we talk, you are allowed to call me Mary-Margaret."

As she walked away, Emma couldn't shake the familiar feeling she got when talking to Mary-Margaret.

* * *

"You know, I'm looking for a deputy," a thick-accented voice said as she sat in Granny's, drinking a hot chocolate (with cinnamon, of course), and looked at the real estate noticed in the paper.

Emma's blue eyes lifted from the page, finding Sheriff Graham standing next to her. His words had her frowning, shaking her head a little.

"Look, it's not like I don't appreciate the offer, but… I was in law enforcement in Boston and it didn't exactly end well for my son," she said, choosing her words carefully.

"Don't worry," he said, taking a seat on the stool. "Not much happens in Storybrooke. I'm sure it will be fine. Plus, I give awesome benefits."

Emma snorted, grinning a little. "Oh really now? How kind of you."

"Will you at least think about it?" he asked.

Emma nodded, though she had a feeling she already knew what she was going to say. Quite honestly, of all the jobs in this town, the only one that seemed interesting to her, was… being his deputy.

"Alright… I'll do it."

But if anything happened, they would be out of Storybrooke so fast no one would know they were gone until the dust behind the yellow bug settled.

* * *

"Miss Blanchard, maybe you should read to him," she heard her pupil say as she stood in the hospital room of one John Doe. The man had been here as long as she could remember, and the fact that no one claimed him… it made her heart break for him. She hoped his family would find him soon, but as the years passed, she had less and less hope. It wasn't like Storybrooke was a big town.

"Read?" she asked. "Cora, I don't think reading to him will work. If he hasn't responded to the treatments the doctors have given him, why would he respond to me?" She was just a simple volunteer, she had no formal medical training at all.

"I don't know," the girl said. "But sometimes normal things don't work, right? What could it hurt?"

Mary-Margaret smiled as she arranged the small bouquet of flowers on the bedside table. Perhaps if she just said she would… that would appease the young girl.

"Alright," Mary-Margaret told the young girl. "I'll try tonight when I get here for my volunteer work."

After all, what could it hurt?


	7. David

Mary-Margaret sat on John Doe's bed, reading the book that had originally been hers, before she'd passed it on to young Cora Mills, in an attempted to give the lonely girl a bit of hope. Apparently, she had succeeded, because now the girl had a wild imagination, claiming that she was Snow White, and this John Doe that she was currently reading to… was her Prince Charming.

While he did look the part… at least, without the hospital gown, Mary-Margaret had to laugh a little at the notion that she was a princess. Princesses and fairytales didn't actually exist after all… as much as Mary-Margaret liked the idea of being Snow White and finding her happily ever after.

She gasped as she felt a warm hand enclose on hers, and she stared at John Doe, who wasn't moving anything else.

The teacher sat frozen, unsure of what to do. She knew she should go see Doctor Whale, and tell him that something was going on, but there was a small part of her screaming that it would be a bad idea. Why she thought that, she didn't know, but… her gut was telling her to continue reading.

Taking a deep breath, Mary-Margaret continued to read after putting his hand back where it had been before.

She turned the page, and smiled as Prince Charming proposed to Snow White.

Doctor Whale walked in just then. "Mary… as much as we appreciate you coming in and trying to work with him… it _is_ getting late… why don't you go home and get some rest?" he said. "Tomorrow is Thursday, after all."

Mary-Margaret looked up at the clock and gasped a little at the time. "Oh! Doctor Whale, thanks."

"Have a good night, Mary," Doctor Whale said, giving her a polite squeeze of her shoulder. Mary-Margaret blushed a little, but pushed it aside, remembering how her date with him had gone.

"See you tomorrow, Doctor," she said simply, hoisting her purse onto her shoulder and walking out of the hospital, unable to get the thought of John Doe grabbing her hand out of her head.

* * *

Emma groaned as her cell phone rang loudly, her arm flailing around the small table in the room she and David were still staying in at Granny's, and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she muttered drowsily, her blue eyes only just cracking.

"Emma, need your help. The John Doe at the hospital is awake and somehow escaped from the hospital," Graham's voice said from the other line.

The woman snapped up from the bed. "What?!"

"Meet me at the hospital, fast. I'm looking at surveillance footage now. It looks like he went out the back door into the forest. I'm going to get a head start in the woods."

Emma only just managed to pull on a shirt, attaching her deputy badge to her breast, and her walkie-talkie on her hip. "Are you sure? Which direction are you heading in? I'll head the opposite way."

"I'm taking a left at the fork, you head right."

"I'm on it," Emma said. "See you in a few minutes."

"Mom?" she heard David say as she snapped the phone closed.

"David, I got a call. I need to head out to the hospital, okay?" she said, pulling on her shoes.

"Did Prince Charming wake up?!" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow at how excited he sounded. "John Doe. Yes. He escaped from the hospital, into the woods. I'm going to help Graham find him."

"You have to check the Toll Bridge! He'll go to somewhere that feels familiar!" David told her.

She felt slightly concerned about how knowledgeable he seemed to be about this. "How do you know that?"

"Cora told me. He's been in a coma. He doesn't know who he is. Well, no one does, but he might remember things from the Enchanted Forest!" David's smile alarmed her. "Please Mom, you have to believe me!"

"David…" she said softly, sitting down on the bed and putting her hands on his shoulders. "As much as I would love to believe that fairytales exist… the fact is, they just don't. But… I will check the Toll Bridge." She felt thankful that they'd walked around the woods and she remembered where that was. "I'll be back soon hopefully. Stay here, okay?"

"But Mom, I can help!"

"No David," she said, making her way to the door. "No way. It's late, and I do not want you navigating these woods alone." She didn't want him doing it when it was daylight, let alone when it was almost two in the morning. "Please. I know you love adventures and all of that stuff, but please. It's too dangerous."

"Okay… okay Mom. I'll stay," David said quietly, laying back down.

Emma smiled, before running out of the room, going to the forest.

"Mary-Margaret?" she asked, nearly stumbling over a rock as she noticed her son's teacher also wandering through the woods. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for John Doe," she said simply. "I… was the last one in the room with him besides Doctor Whale and he… he grabbed my hand while I was reading to him. I didn't say anything because I thought… I thought he would wake but I just thought someone would be with him… that, or there wouldn't be an open door for him to walk through."

Considering it was a _hospital,_ she thought that was a pretty rational thinking.

"Come on then," Emma said, heading toward the Toll Bridge.

"Why are we going this way?" she heard Mary-Margaret ask from behind her.

Emma chuckled a little. "Well… David seems to think that John Doe is Prince Charming, going around trying to find something familiar."

"Oh no, so Cora got to him?" Mary-Margaret asked.

"Cora?"

"She… seems to think that the characters in her book are people in town."

Emma looked back at her. "Really?" That explained why David seemed to be looking at people differently.

"Mhm," Mary-Margaret said. "She seems to think I'm Snow White… and of course, John Doe is my Prince Charming."

Emma looked over her shoulder at the woman, trying to picture her as Snow White. Well, she was kind like Snow White, but so were many other people in the world, and she did have dark hair, but then again, so did one of her foster mothers, and that woman was as far from Snow White as someone could get.

"That's… that's pretty funny," she said slowly, unsure of what else to really say. "Do they have these… identities for everyone in town?"

"Seems to be… for one, Regina is – Emma, look! I think I see him!" Mary-Margaret said, before pushing ahead of her, going to a dark figure on the ground near the water.

"Oh my God," Emma muttered, grabbing for her walkie-talkie. "Graham! I found him! He doesn't seem to be breathing. We're down by the Toll Bridge. Call for an ambulance, quick!"

"I'm on my way," Graham said from the other end.

"Mary-Margaret – " she started to say, before noticing that the teacher was doing CPR on the man. That was good. If the man was in danger, it was good that Mary-Margaret knew what to do.

As Graham arrived, the lights from the ambulance faint in the distance, she heard the man begin to cough.

* * *

_"You'll what? Find me?"_

_"I will always find you."_

He didn't know why he was walking, or where he was, but he knew he needed to get to the Troll Bridge.

He stumbled, his bare feet slipping on a rock jutting out from the dark, damp earth. But why was he barefoot? He was a prince, right? Surely, he would be wearing shoes.

"Snow!" he shouted into the distance.

Wait, it wasn't snowing. Why would he say that?

Grunting, his head pounding, the man let out a cry before falling into the river, the pain unbearable.

Someone was kissing him, trying to breathe life back into his lungs, and he fought against the pounding that was trying to encourage him to go back to sleep.

Eventually he coughed, water coming up from his lungs, and he opened his eyes, staring into a woman's.

A woman who felt… far, far too familiar. He knew her – he knew he did, but from where?

"We found you!" she said, relief clear in her voice, and he smiled. That felt familiar.

"You saved me…" he whispered, his voice weak from lack of use.

Another woman appeared then – with blonde hair and blue eyes, shining a light that made him wince and pull away.

"Don't worry sir, we have paramedics on the way…" the blonde said as she put the blinding light away.

"Paramedics?" he mumbled. What the hell was that?

He was suddenly hoisted up onto a cart, wheeled into some sort of carriage (ambulance, his mind told him), and taken to a large building.

"I must say, sir," a man told him hours later as he was being checked out, "you are very lucky you weren't killed out there."

"Yeah… all thanks to…" he looked over at the door, where the dark-haired woman, the blonde-haired woman, and a young boy were waiting.

"Mary-Margaret."

Wait, that didn't seem right… but he couldn't recall what did feel right, so he simply nodded.

"Your wife is on her way I hear," the doctor said.

Wife? He had a wife?

Well, he supposed it made sense that he did, he was an adult male after all.

"David!" a woman suddenly cried, bursting into the room. "Oh thank goodness they found you!"

"Um…" he said, grunting a little as she threw her arms around him. "Sorry but… what's your name again?"

"Kathryn. I'm your wife Kathryn."

Kathryn. Right.

The woman hugged him again in relief, and he returned it, looking over toward the glass wall.

The pained look on Mary-Margaret's face brought guilt to his heart.


	8. Earthquake!

"Alright David," she said as she sat her son down in their room at Granny's. "Your teacher told me something very interesting the night she and I were looking for the John Doe – I mean, David Nolan."

To hear that the man was the missing husband of one of Mary-Margaret's co-workers had been a bit of a shock. The fact that Mary-Margaret had no idea who he was, despite supposedly being close to Kathryn, made Emma wonder if something was up in Storybrooke.

"What'd she tell you?" David asked, looking at her with wide, curious eyes.

"She told me that you believe that everyone in this town is a bunch of fairytale characters… something that's in the book Cora has. Is that why you kept calling John Doe 'Prince Charming'?"

She saw something in her son's eyes – defiance, and what she thought was a small flicker of… hope. "Yeah, that's right. He's Prince Charming, Miss Blanchard is Snow White… Ruby is Red Riding Hood."

Emma smiled, wanting to indulge this. It made him happy, and it wasn't hurting anyone so… she figured why not? "Oh? And who is Cora's mother?"

"The Evil Queen. The woman who cast the curse to steal everyone's happy ending."

Emma frowned a little. "The Evil Queen? It's not nice to call her the Evil Queen kiddo."

"But she is! That's why she's trying to keep Miss Blanchard and Mr. Nolan apart!"

"David," Emma said, her voice taking on a warning tone.

"You're in the book too Mom."

That caught her off guard, and he took advantage of her stunned silence. "You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. You're the one that's going to break the curse and help everyone remember."

She inhaled sharply. When she was a child, she'd always dreamed of being the daughter of a prince and princess… usually, it was Ariel and Eric from The Little Mermaid, simply because that princess seemed to be a little more kick-ass than Snow White. But she knew that there were no fairytales in this world.

"I saw your blanket Mom. It's in the book."

Emma froze, staring down at her son. Her baby blanket was the most unique thing she owned. If that was in a book then…

But it couldn't be true. Why would Snow White and Prince Charming give up their child? Unless there was a curse to take everyone away…

"Mom?"

Emma shook her head, trying to get the nonsense out of her head. "I'm fine… what do you say you invite Cora over to our… room, and let me take a look at that book, hm?"

David nodded slowly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Emma nodded. "I'm fine, I promise."

Her son smiled and hugged her tight. "You won't regret reading the book, Mom, I promise."

She let out a chuckle. "Yeah… I'm sure I wo – woah!"

The ground suddenly shook under their feet, the pictures creaking, vibrating against the walls as their nails threatened to drop them, Emma holding onto David tight.

"Oh my God!"

"Mom, what's going on?!"

"I don't know, David!" she yelled back, letting out a relieved sigh as the ground slowed, and eventually stopped shaking, her cell phone going off only a moment later.

"Graham…" she said into the receiver. "Where am I meeting you?"

"Town border, near the mines. There's a sinkhole and I need help roping it off and making sure nothing is wrong," Graham said.

"On my way," she said.

"Can I come with you, Mom? Please?" David asked, following her to the door.

"Absolutely not, David," she told him. "I don't know what happened. I don't know if it's dangerous or not. You are staying here with Granny."

"But Mom – "

"No buts!" she said sharply. "Granny was nice enough to agree to watch you, David. So don't give her any disrespect. Please. If it's safe I'll let you know. I promise."

"Okay…"

Emma ran from the inn.

The woman stared as she looked around. "What the hell?" she whispered. "How in the world could this happen?"

"Is it not your job to be the one to figure this out, Deputy Swan?" she heard Regina ask.

Emma nearly rolled her eyes. She and Regina, despite having started out on fairly friendly terms, had their relationship deteriorate. Emma had no idea why the woman was suddenly so hostile toward her, but she wasn't going to take any of the crap from her at all.

"Mayor Mills," she said, "this is a dangerous scene. No place for the leader of our town. After all, we wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"I'm fine here. After all, I have to calm the public down…" she said, giving Graham an odd look. Emma frowned in confusion as a crowd began descending on the scene of the earthquake.

Emma couldn't fight back the roll of her eyes this time. "Fine," she muttered, turning to Graham. "What could have caused something like this?" she asked him, pointedly ignoring the look Regina was giving her behind her back.

"I don't know. The mine's have been closed for years – it's possible that the earth is wanting to take them back," Graham said. "Come on. Help me rope it off. We don't want anyone getting hurt by going down there."

Emma nodded, taking the bright yellow caution tape, wrapping it on one of the posts that were managing to stand, stretching it as she heard a very young voice calling out, trying to tell her to stop.

Frowning, the blonde looked up, only to spot Cora running toward her, having managed to escape from Regina's grip.

"Cora, you need to get away from here," Graham said.

"But there might be something in there Graham!" Cora replied, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Cora…" Emma said, her eyes widening at how desperate the little girl seemed to be to get down into the mines.

"Cora, get back here, now. You know it's too dangerous. Now let Miss Swan and Graham do their jobs!" Regina called, stalking over to them, her eyes looking worriedly at her daughter.

"Regina… if you want to take her to Granny's… it's where David is," Emma said slowly.

Emma looked at Cora, who was looking desperately at her, wanting her to do something, but Emma wasn't sure what she could do at this point. Cora wasn't her daughter. She couldn't insist on taking Cora away from Regina.

The desperation and despair in Cora's eyes made Emma's heart ache. It was the same look that she gave her foster homes when they sent her back, or to another home. The deputy swallowed tight as she looked at the little girl. Kids had a knack for knowing things – Emma was well aware of that… but the fact that she believed in a curse involving fairytale characters, involving her being the one to save them all…

It was crazy.

"I might do that Miss Swan. Thank you for offering," Regina said, giving Emma one of her creepy smiles.

What was it about the woman that made Emma want to curl up in a hole and pray she went away?

So, the blonde simply nodded and watched as Regina and Cora left.

* * *

Cora ran up to David when her mother dropped her off at Granny's, the older woman looking at her mother with alarm, but the little girl ignoring it as she dragged her friend to a corner of the room where they wouldn't be disturbed.

"What's wrong, Cora?" David asked.

"Look what I found at the scene of the accident!" Cora told him, dropping to her knees and reaching into her bag, pulling out the fragile pieces of glass – from Snow White's coffin. She knew it. She had all details memorized about the story.

David stared at her. "Whoa… how is that here? Shouldn't that be in the Enchanted Forest?"

Cora shrugged and sat down more comfortably. "Maybe my mother wanted to bring some mementos." Though why she would seal something like that in a mine, Cora didn't know. Knowing her mother, she would have kept it in the house on display – as a constant reminder of her (soon to be broken) victory.

"Maybe… but where's the rest of it?" David asked.

"That's the thing… I think it's in the mine somewhere…" she told him, running a hand through her hair. "But your Mom and Graham are blocking it off. I saw Gepetto there too… probably to help keep it secure so we can't get in."

But they had to get in. Maybe there was other stuff down there!

"Maybe… maybe they'll send someone down… to look for the source of the explosion!" David said. "Maybe they'll find something!"

She frowned. "How can we trust that they'll know what it is though?"

David sighed. "We can't… I guess we just have to hope."

She bit her lip. That was all she'd been doing for years until Emma and David arrived. The curse needed to break so the happy endings could return. Sure, maybe some people, like Cinderella, already had a happy ending, but…

She wanted David's family to have theirs.

"How much longer do we have to hope before things are fixed?" she asked with a sigh. She knew things were changing already. The clock was moving, Prince Charming was awake… but she was surprised the curse hadn't broken already.

"My mom is… she had a rough life… it's not going to be easy for her to believe. But she wants to see the book. She wanted you to bring the book to our room before the earthquake," David explained.

Cora sighed. She supposed that was a start.

* * *

Emma took a deep breath as she was lowered into the mines. Another explosion had rattled the area, and they needed to figure out what in the world was going on before someone was killed. No one else knew what to do, so Emma was the one lowered in.

Not that she was an expert, but if there was something visible to see, she supposed the town would appreciate that.

Her feet finally on solid dirt, she looked around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary – aside from the carts and pickaxes that were spilled over from what Emma suspected was the earthquakes.

She wondered briefly what exactly these mines were used for, before hearing what she thought was a _growl,_ the ground shuddering and shaking again.

Emma shrieked as she was suddenly hoisted back into the air, her green eyes darting around the mines again before Graham's concerned face appeared before her.

"Are you alright Emma?" he asked.

Emma nodded. "I'm fine. I couldn't see anything though… it must be natural gas or something causing this."

She didn't dare mention the giant wing she thought she saw when she was being brought up.


	9. You

The dark haired man sauntered into the building, looking at the call box for the proper number. While he was no tracker, he knew enough to know that this was the building he needed, and…

"You!" another male voice said from the staircase.

Neal.

"It's been a while," August said. "Seems like you've got yourself set up real nice."

"What the hell are you doing here?" the other dark-haired man asked, glaring at him.

August expected it really, after all, he hadn't exactly been a _good boy_ by breaking up Neal and Emma.

"It's happening. She's in Storybrooke," he said. "The curse is getting ready to break… I'm on my way there now."

"Emma?"

August nodded, looking around before pulling up his pant leg. He'd tried so hard to fight it, but he knew it was hopeless. Without magic, he was turning back into the wooden puppet he'd been all those years ago in the Enchanted Forest.

"I just thought you should know. I'll send you a postcard when the curse is broken, like I promised you years ago."

Though, considering the rate of his… wooden formation, he wondered if he'd be able to write to Neal when the curse broke.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't follow you to Storybrooke."

August raised an eyebrow at the man. Could he really be so dense, even after ten years?

"Because you'd just be in the way. Getting her to believe isn't going to be easy."

"I can help her."

He shook his head. "I think you said the same thing ten years ago, Neal. You didn't help her out very much back then did you?"

"You didn't let me."

That stung, but August knew it was true. He hadn't allowed Neal to help Emma because he knew Emma needed to do this alone. Just like she needed to break the curse alone… or, with the help of Rumpelstiltskin. August didn't know much about the man, but he had a feeling the imp would have tried to bend the curse to his will, even if it was Regina who'd created it.

"I know. What makes you think you'll be of much help now?" he said.

"My Pa – my _father_ is there. I know he is. And he's probably behind this damn curse in the first place."

"You're wrong… it wasn't your father who cast it…" August said, looking around again to make sure they weren't being spied on. "It was a woman named Regina. You might know her as The Evil Queen from _Snow White_."

His father hadn't told him much about what was going on during the panic before the curse was cast, but he knew that much.

"The Evil Queen?"

August nodded. "Emma's step-grandmother."

He saw Neal shudder a little. "But my father's still there. I know it."

"Which is why it's better you stay away until the curse is broken."

"I should be with Emma."

August nearly rolled his eyes. Why was he still so hung up on Emma? The woman had probably moved on by this point. It had been ten years after all.

His leg throbbed, and he knew he needed to get going, so he cast one last glance at the man before shuddering. "I should go. Traffic is going to be a nightmare this time of night. Don't want to get there too late."

"Wait, August…!"

He turned, giving the other man a curious look.

"If my father didn't cast the curse… then where was he?"

August smiled a little. "Snow and James captured him. He was locked in a cell in the dwarf mines."

With that, he managed to hobble out of the building and to his motorcycle.

* * *

Emma leaned against the bug as she waited for David to get out of class. Things had calmed down since the earthquakes, which was a bit of a relief considering she thought she'd seen a dragon while she was down in the mines.

Even so, she had to admit, she was enjoying Storybrooke a hell of a lot more than she thought she would. Considering she'd always been more of a city girl, it was surprising. It meant there wasn't much for her to do at the station aside from hang around with Graham. While that was far from a negative thing, Emma still wanted to be able to do something other than sit around an office all day.

But, it was better than going down into a mine and thinking you saw a giant wing that looked like something out of _Lord of the Rings._

Cora was coming over today. They were, _still_, living in Granny's – most of their stuff from Boston being held in a storage unit in a town about an hour away from Storybrooke. It was the closest Emma could get considering there was nothing like that here.

It frustrated her that there were no houses here for sale.

"Emma?"

The blonde looked up. Mary-Margaret was there, a kind smile on her face.

"Mary-Margaret," she replied with a smile. "How are you? What are you doing here?"

She checked her watch – it was still twenty minutes before the school let out.

"I don't have my class at this time today. They're with Kathryn at art class," the woman explained. "I was doing some grading before going to the hospital to see David."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You want to get to him before Kathryn does, don't you?"

The teacher went red. "Well I… I was talking to Kathryn and despite trying… nothing seems to be working. He doesn't even seem to be happy around her. From what he said…"

"Mary-Margaret, you have to be careful," she said, her tone taking on that of a concerned mother. "Trust me… it's not fun messing around with married guys."

She nodded. "I know Emma. That's why we promised each other we wouldn't do anything stupid until David either remembered or realized he really didn't love Kathryn."

Emma rubbed her head, not wanting to see Mary-Margaret hurt, no matter what happened. She knew Mary-Margaret was close to Kathryn Nolan, and the fact that she was growing closer to David as well was… well, concerning to the woman. David, as far as she knew, was a nice guy, but the fact remained that he was married to _Kathryn_.

"So do you and David have a place to stay yet?"

It was obvious that the teacher was trying to change the subject, but Emma felt like she needed to vent about her awful luck with finding a place for she and David.

She shook her head. "Storybrooke doesn't have any listings. It's getting pretty tiring having to live out of suitcases."

Mary-Margaret gave her a sympathetic smile. "If you want… I have a spare room available. It's not big by any means but…"

Emma stared at the woman. "Really?"

The teacher nodded. "Of course. We can't have you living in Granny's the entire time you're here. I imagine she'll keep raising the amount due per night on you…"

She snorted a little and nodded. "How'd you guess?"

"Granny's never been… quiet on the fact that she very much appreciates that you've been staying at the inn for a almost two months," Mary-Margaret replied. "Seems like she's talking about it every time I go into the diner to get coffee in the mornings."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course." It wasn't the first time she'd been talked about behind her back, but she was glad it wasn't anything negative for once.

"Listen, I should… I should go. Just… think about the spare room?"

"I don't need to think about it…" Emma said. She was never an impulsive person, but she knew she and Henry needed a more permanent place to stay than a bed and breakfast. The fact that Mary-Margaret was offering them a home was a relief to her.

"Okay… so I'll see you guys… soon then?"

Emma nodded, smiling, watching the woman as she left to head to the hospital, the bell ringing what appeared to be only a few moments later.

David and Cora came flying out of the doors, and Emma chuckled. She'd never seen David so happy and close to someone.

"Mom! Mrs. Nolan said she loved our projects!" David shouted.

Emma laughed a little. "You mean the drawings of the… fairytale characters?"

It seemed to be the perfect project for the two of them. Kathryn had instructed them to draw pictures of their family members, but to somehow make it special. According to David, the students had done a wide variety of things, but none had done fairytale characters like David and Cora did.

David nodded eagerly. "Yeah! She said they were the most creative she'd seen!"

"That's wonderful David. I'm so proud of you," Emma said, hugging him. "I have some news too. I found us a place."

Her son stared at her. "You did?!"

She nodded, pulling back the passenger's side seat so Cora could get in. "Your teacher has a spare room… she offered it to us."

"That's awesome! You're so lucky David. I'm sure living with Miss Blanchard is going to be the best!" Cora said as Emma pulled out of the parking lot to the school. "Miss Swan – "

"Emma. Please call me Emma," the woman replied. "Miss Swan is too formal for me."

"Oh, sorry! Emma, David said you want to read my book… right?"

Emma nodded slowly, looking in the rear view mirror as they stopped at a red light. "That's right… he said I might see some… familiar things in it. Is that right?"

The little girl nodded eagerly, the car rolling along again when the light flipped back to green. Pulling into Granny's parking lot, Emma smiled as David nearly flew from the car, Cora shooting out behind him, not even bothering to wait for the front seat to be pulled up.

"Be careful you two!" she said as they entered the bed and breakfasts lobby, two sets of eager footsteps loudly pounding on the staircase.

"Emma, a word really quick, please?" she heard Granny say as she made it to the staircase. Emma turned, smiling at the woman.

"Of course, Granny," she said, stepping over to the desk and looking at the woman curiously.

The woman gave her a kind smile. "Listen, you're great with the kids, but I don't want them getting too loud today. We've got another guest staying here, see, and he looks like he's driven a long way, so I'm sure he's exhausted… can you just make sure the kids don't get too loud?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Granny. I'll make sure they don't make too much noise, I promise," Emma said with another nod. Though, she was curious. From what she understood, strangers didn't exactly flock to Storybrooke. The fact that a man was here was… unnerving, almost.

As Emma made her way back upstairs, she heard the door to the bed and breakfast open once again, and a distinct male voice spoke.

She paled, and ran up the remainder of the stairs two at a time.

Neal.

"Mom? Is everything okay?" she heard David asked as she closed the door, resting her head against the back of it.

"It's nothing Henry… but I do need to tell you guys something. There's someone else staying here… so you both need to calm down and not be so loud, alright?"

The kids stared at her.

"Someone else is in Storybrooke?"

Emma nodded, pulling the book onto her lap, not wanting to think about the two people who were joining them in this town.

"So… this book…" she said, changing the subject like Mary-Margaret had done.

"Here, this is my favorite story," Cora said, sitting on her knees and flipping through the pages. "Snow White."

"I've never been a big fan of – "

"It's different, I promise!"

Emma smiled a little, beginning to read, only breaking her reading to nod when David and Cora asked to go get a drink from the vending machine downstairs.

* * *

"Woah! Careful kids," Neal said when he saw two kids bounding down the stairs, though Neal could tell they were trying to be quiet.

"Sorry mister!" they chorused, and Neal chuckled before frowning. There was something familiar about the boy – but he couldn't put his finger on it. They were both brunette, but something drew him to the boy of the two.

"Hey kids, how old are you?"

"Ten!" they chorused again, and Neal felt his throat tighten.

"Do… do either of you know who owns the yellow bug in the parking lot?"

The boy nodded, and Neal's heart sank.

"My mom does."

"David, Cora, you know Regina's gonna kill me if – Neal?"

And there was her voice. Neal turned, his eyes wide as he looked at her. She was still beautiful, with a hint of that rebel hidden somewhere deep in her eyes.

"Emma…" he whispered.


	10. Running

Really, it was something out of a cheesy television show.

David, the young, innocent child raised by a single mother, suddenly runs into his father, blissfully unaware of who the man really is, the shocked mother following close behind, before falling helplessly in love with said father all over again.

Emma, though, wasn't playing around. There was nothing funny about this situation, no slapstick comedy happening, no laugh track in the background.

"Cora, David, get back to the room," she said sharply.

"Mom?"

"_Now_."

"Is this my son, Emma?" she heard Neal ask, and her heart dropped into her feet – if that was even possible. All she wanted was a nice day with her son and his friend, reading the book they talked constantly about, the book they claimed had her in it, as the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

"Mom…?" This time, David's voice was softer, more hesitant, and Emma heard a twinge of sadness hidden in it. She was caught, and she knew it. She couldn't lie, she couldn't hide it… it was over.

Emma took a deep breath, cupping David's face within her hands, looking at him with all the sadness and pride she could muster.

"Yes…" she choked out. "Yes. He's your son… David… this is your father…"

The boy's eyes widened, and he moved his head out of her grasp to look at his father.

"You left us…" he said, "you left Mom in jail!"

The man seemed stunned that his son knew that. Emma hadn't lied, she knew it was wrong to do that to her child. David knew what had happened… with only a few minor details left out.

"She loved you, and you left her!"

"David go back into the room…. please," she said softly. "I'll come talk to you later, okay?"

The boy glared once more at his father, before storming off to their room, Cora hot on his heels.

Emma turned to Neal, folding her arms across her chest with a glare. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I… I came back for you. August told me you would be here so…"

"Who's August?"

Neal rubbed the back of his neck. "The man who left the money for you."

A.W.B. Emma remembered now. The mysterious letter she'd gotten in prison, saying the account had been set up.

"Oh. Yes. I remember that," she muttered.

"I left it all for you… so you could start a new life for yourself once you finished your sentence."

She scoffed. "Neal, for God's sake. I didn't need the money, I needed _you_! I had to go through pregnancy, labor and delivery behind bars, without any support from anyone aside from the guards or doctors. Do you know what that was like?! Do you understand how alone and unloved I felt until I saw him? I was going to give him up until they told me I was able to keep him in a new program at the jail."

"What? Give him up?"

"What the hell was I supposed to do, Neal?! I was broke, alone and in prison! Until August sent me that money and the keys to the bug, I had no way to support him!"

"There was always the fost – "

"Don't. Don't you even _dare_ mention the foster system. You know what I went through in the foster system." How could he even _think_ of such a thing?

"Emma I – "

She wasn't in the mood to hear the crap spilling from his mouth. He couldn't wander away from her, then pop back in ten years later. She would not allow that to happen, so Emma simply shook her head and went back into her room, closing the door behind her.

"David, get your stuff… we're going to Mary-Margaret's. Cora… I'm going to leave this up to you. Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to come to Mary-Margaret's with us?" Emma said.

"I'll come with you," the girl said, "but first…" She set the book next to her on the bed, flipped open to the pages Emma had been reading and ripped them out.

Emma stared. "Cora, that's your book…"

"I know, I know… but this is the story of your parents. You deserve to have it. Besides, with you and… David's dad in town, my mom's going to start freaking out, and I know this is the first place she'll look."

Emma wanted to scream, to tell her that there was nothing wrong with the book because it was just a book, but she held back, smiling as the girl placed the pages on top of the suitcase she'd dragged out from underneath her bed.

She threw her clothing in haphazardly, not even caring if they were clean or dirty – she'd sort it out when they got to Mary-Margaret's.

"Mom… are you okay?" David said softly.

"Fine. Are you?" she replied, hoisting the suitcase back off the bed and looking around to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

He nodded. "Ready."

"C'mon then."

Cora led the way downstairs, where Granny was still standing behind the desk.

"Granny, David and I are finally checking out," Emma explained. "Thanks for letting us stay here for… two months."

The older woman smiled, taking the key as Emma handed it to her. "Well, I hope you enjoyed your stay."

"Of course… but it's just time to settle down, you know?"

"Yes, I understand," she replied with a nod. "We'll see you around, Emma, David."

Emma managed a smile as they left the hotel.

* * *

David sighed, sitting on the sofa in the house he shared with Kathryn, photographs surrounding him from their relationship.

He knew it was wrong, so _so_ wrong, but the only photographs he was drawn to were the ones with Mary-Margaret, or his mother Martha in them, from events at the elementary school she and Kathryn worked at. Their wedding photos, photos from what Kathryn had said was their housewarming party, and other various activities they'd done together… did nothing to make anything begin working or coming back to him.

A knock on the door had him frowning as he stood up to answer it. Kathryn wouldn't be knocking, unless she had groceries in her hand, but he hadn't heard her car pull up.

Mary-Margaret stood on the other side of the door. David inhaled sharply, then blinked in confusion at why she was there.

"Mary-Margaret…" he said.

"Hello David. I just thought I'd come by and see how things were going."

She was smiling, but David felt like there was something hidden in it.

"Oh… well…" he shrugged. "They're going okay, I guess…" he really wasn't sure if he could describe it.

"Is… everything okay?"

He shrugged again. "I guess. Kathryn and I aren't fighting, but my memories still seem to be stuck. I can feel some things when I see certain pictures, but it's not of Kathryn."

She frowned. "Then what is it?"

"Pictures of… my mother and I, along with – "

Kathryn's car pulled up suddenly, and David looked over Mary-Margaret's shoulder as she turned to see what was happening.

"Oh! Mary-Margaret!" his wife said as she pulled her work bag out of the car. "I wasn't expecting to see you here… um, I know this is going to be rude of me, but I Really need to talk to my husband alone…"

David frowned, but nodded in agreement. He had a feeling this talk was going to be a long time coming.

"Of course, Kathryn," Mary-Margaret said, her voice taking on a nervous tone. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then. Don't forget about the staff meeting after work."

"I won't…" Kathryn told her, stepping into the house as David followed, closing the door behind her.

"Shall we sit down?" David asked, gesturing to the sofa he'd recently vacated.

She nodded, smiling a little at the photographs. "Anything?"

He shrugged. "Just the same as recently. The woman – the one you called my mother – being the only… I'm not sure… real thing? But then again, I feel like I do know you, you don't feel like a stranger, but you also don't feel like…"

"A lover," she finished for him, nodding a little sadly. "You know David, I've been thinking the same thing. You are a wonderful man, and we had some amazing memories together, but… we were separated for a reason before your accident."

David nodded slowly. "Yes, that's true, isn't it? And that reason probably had everything to do with us not feeling love for each other anymore."

It was Kathryn's turn to nod. "And… I hate to be the one to do this, but there is another teacher who works at the school. Jim… he and I got to talking today and…"

"You feel like you'll be happier with him."

"Yes. Yes exactly. But David, I don't want you to think that I'm abandoning you, because I'm not. I still want to help you find your memories," she explained, her face contorting in pain. "Please don't think that."

He shook his head. "I don't think that, Kathryn. I know how you feel… because I haven't been totally honest with you. Something else does feel right when I look at some of the pictures."

Her face lit up. "What is it?!"

"Mary-Margaret… it's like… I feel a connection with her."

"Like… love at first sight."

"I'm not sure if I would call it love but… yes. There's something there."

Kathryn gave him a small smile. "I had a feeling… when I saw you together a couple days after you were saved… I was just thinking that there would be a chance. I now know that was just false feelings from when we were happy in our marriage. It wouldn't be fair for us to be together anymore if neither of us are happy."

"You're right Kathryn. Thank you for understanding," David said with relief, leaning over to give her a hug.

Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

Mary-Margaret crossed her arms over her chest, shivering a little as the air turned colder. She hoped everything was alright between David and Kathryn… Kathryn's tone didn't sound so happy when she showed up.

"Miss Blanchard!" a voice called, cutting the woman from her thoughts. Her head shot up in surprise, her eyes finding David, Emma and Cora sitting in the yellow car in front of her apartment building.

" What are you guys doing here so soon? I would think you would want a night or two to pack!" she said, taking her keys out of her purse and leading them upstairs.

"Yeah well… something happened. We needed to get out of there fast," Emma mumbled.

Mary-Margaret frowned as she unlocked the door, allowing them entry into her small loft. "Do you feel like telling me?"

"Depends. You have any liquor?"

"Um… I think I might have some whiskey that Ruby gave me last year on New Year's Eve…" she said, trying to think.

"That works," the blonde said, sitting down with a heavy sigh onto one of her chairs while Mary-Margaret went to get her a glass and the whiskey.

"David, Cora are you thirsty?" she asked, giving the children a kind smile, noticing David didn't look as cheerful as he normally did.

"Not really…" he muttered, Cora shaking her head.

She gave Emma an alarmed look, sliding the drink over to the blonde.

"David's father came back."

Mary-Margaret's eyes widened again. "What? He's here?"

The blonde nodded, spilling her heart out to the teacher, and the only thing stopping her from wrapping her arms around Emma was knowing that if she did, Emma would flee.

Instead, Mary-Margaret sat across from her, just letting her talk.


	11. Confrontations

Emma blinked as a box of donuts was suddenly dropped in front of her.

Graham stood in front of her, a sheepish smile on his face, and Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Sometimes the stereotypes are true," he said.

"Um.. okay?" What was he going on about?

"I heard that David's father was in town. One of the two new strangers we have here," Graham said, taking a seat on the edge of her desk. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay… because I saw David earlier, and he didn't look happy. When I asked him, he told me."

The blonde couldn't help but smile a little. "I appreciate the concern Graham, but I'm fine. It was ten years ago. I'm done with him. I've been trying to get David to talk with him but… he doesn't seem to want anything to do with him. Even Mary-Margaret has tried."

Emma had never met a more kind woman in her life. To take a complete stranger and her son into her home and help them get back on their feet, providing them comfort when a man neither of them ever thought they would see ever again waltzed back into their lives…

Hell, not even the guard and doctor in her prison had been as kind.

"Well, it can't hurt for me to offer to take you out for a drink," he said.

Emma chuckled a little, leaning back in her chair.

"Are you sure Regina will be happy to see her sheriff and deputy going out on the town together?" the woman said, snorting a little.

"I never said we would be going out on the town Emma. Just for a drink or something. Get your mind off of David's father."

She tilted her head and gave him a slight smile. "I might have to take you up on that offer then." What was a drink with a colleague? Besides, Mary-Margaret wasn't exactly a lush, and liquor was expensive. If Graham was offering…

Well, Emma didn't exactly want to turn him down.

"Alright Graham... but don't expect this to turn into me getting so drunk that I spill out my life's story to you."

"Maybe I'll tell you mine instead."

Emma raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "Really?"

He shrugged. "If someone has to sob their life story, and I never expected it to be you, and we're the only two out drinking…"

She snorted in amusement as Graham made his way to his office. "You're lucky you bought a bear claw!" she called after him, plucking the sweet treat out of the box and taking a bite.

* * *

Neal sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked in the mirror in his room at Granny's. He knew he couldn't hide in the room forever – Ruby and Granny were starting to get suspicious, as were Emma and his… his son.

He had come here for more than just Emma. He'd come to finally confront his father. He knew, of course, that the rest of the town was under a curse, caused by The Evil Queen, but he had a feeling his father would have managed to put something in there to let himself remember.

It was a confrontation three-hundred years coming.

Swallowing tight, the man took a deep breath before leaving the room.

David had told him all about Storybrooke, who ran what, and he had a feeling he knew exactly who his father was without knowing who these people were.

Gold.

Something that had been so precious to them while he was growing up, before his father was cursed.

It was only fitting that his father would get that sort of last name in this world.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the street, keeping his head down. August was here – and he'd luckily managed to avoid a confrontation with the man so far, but Neal had a feeling his father wasn't the only person he'd be confronting here, eventually.

Slowly, Neal opened the door to the pawn shop, looking around as he heard someone shuffling around in the back, and his eyes widened when his eyes found a ball.

He recognized that ball. It was his.

"Can I help you – " the voice was cut off as realization set in for the man.

Neal looked up, finally facing his father. "Father."

"Bae… you're alive?"

Neal could only nod.

"Wh… how did you find us? This place is closed off to the outside world."

Neal shrugged. "I suppose it's because I was a resident of the Enchanted Forest once upon a time…"

"How did you know we were here?"

His dark eyes looked around, slightly nervous as he made sure August wasn't in earshot of anything he'd say. "There was a man… I ran into him when I was living in Portland… with-with Emma."

The older man's eyes turned wide as he stared at Neal. "Emma? _Swan_?"

Neal nodded reluctantly. "Yes. Emma Swan. The savior."

"Wait… her boy…"

Neal saw a spark of something in the other man's eyes, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

"Her boy is your _son_, isn't he?!"

The man could only hang his head in shame, not daring to meet his father's gaze. He knew he'd screwed up. He'd become a coward, just like the man standing in front of him.

"Bae – "

"Don't. Don't call me that. I'm not Baelfire anymore."

Baelfire was innocent. Neal Cassidy was a… a coward. A coward who had let the best damn thing in his life go because he'd listened to Pinocchio.

His father's eyebrows rose. "And what do you propose I call my son?"

"Neal."

"Well then, _Neal,_ I want you to come with me."

"Why should I go anywhere with you?"

His father simply blinked. "Because I know you'll like this."

"You seem so sure if yourself."

"I know you. I know what you wanted all along."

Neal raised an eyebrow, but followed his father outside into the woods, the man moving remarkably well despite the cane and obviously pain on the rough terrain.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Neal sighed, grunting a little as he nearly crashed into his father upon a rather sudden stop, the man dropping to his knees and digging in the dirt.

"What the hell are you do – "

But the rest of the sentence was cut off with what his father pulled out.

The dagger.

He swallowed tight, looking at his father.

"You need to have this, Baelfire."

The man ignored the fact that his father called him by his childish name, still too stunned to do anything other than gaze at the silver dagger that caused all their pain. How was it here? Why was it here? Why did his father bury it in the woods?

But, he didn't want it.

"No."

"I can't keep it in my possession. You're the only one I can trust to keep this safe. The curse is going to break, and people are going to be after it, Bae. _Please_."

He hadn't heard his father say please since before the whole Dark One issue, and Neal's eyes found his father's, looking into what was left of his soul… and he saw nothing but the truth. His father trusted him to take the dagger and keep it safe, even if Neal would rather throw it into a lake, or try to burn it so it melted.

But he couldn't let his father down.

"Okay," he whispered. "I'll… I'll take it."

The relief on his father's face was something Bae hadn't seen since he made enough money to buy him that ball that was collecting dust back in his shop.

Swallowing tight again, Neal took the box with the dagger inside and closed it tight.

"Bae… I am so sorry."

"I didn't think you'd break our deal."

"That is a regret I've carried with me for three-hundred years."

Neal looked into his father's eyes, again trying to find a lie, but again, unable to do so. Then again, he'd never been as good at figuring people out as Emma.

"Did you have something to do with the curse?"

His father's head fell in shame, and Neal's heart sank. If his father was the reason Emma grew up without a loving family…

Neal would be furious.

"I… created it, yes, but I didn't cast it. Once I gave it to Regina I had no control over it."

"It's your fault Emma grew up without a family?"

His father's eyes narrowed. "Don't pin that one on me, dearie. I wasn't the one that had a vendetta against her mother. Believe me, her parents were actually quite helpful to me. If I had any say in it, they would not have been as badly affected by Regina's curse."

"Oh why, because they provided you the one to break the curse?" Neal snorted in anger.

"No, Bae, of course not."

"It's Neal!" he said, unable to take much more of his father's words. Whether or not he cast the curse, he still caused Emma to be raised without a family.

Giving the man one more glance, Neal turned on his heels, walking back to town.


End file.
